 "In the forests are the secret places of the kings and their great delight. To them they go for hunting, having put off their cares". This late 12th century description of the royal hunting forests of England by Roger FitzNigel neatly explains their main purpose - as a playground set aside for the pleasure of medieval kings, princes and their lords. Today's visitors still go there to 'put off their cares'. But the Sherwood Forest which Robin Hood might have known is a far cry from our modern view of it. A forest in those days was not just an area of dense woodland, like the modern conifer plantations which make up much of the wider Sherwood area today. There were some birch and oak woodlands, but there were also larger areas of open heathland and grassland, where the king's deer were allowed to graze.
In medieval times, a 'forest' was a legal term. It meant an area which was subject to special laws designed to protect the animals, such as red, roe and fallow deer and wild boar, all conserved for the king to hunt. And the forest was protected by a strictly-imposed set of laws which applied not only to areas where the animals lived, but to any surrounding land where they might stray, including private woods, farmland, villages and even towns. Offences could be committed either against the 'venison' - the animals, or the 'vert' - any trees or plants which bore green leaves. The most common offences were against the vert, as local people would cut wood down to clear land for farming, to burn in their homes for fuel, or to be used as timber for building. Offences against the venison would include hunting or poaching the king's deer, carrying a bow and arrows, or the keeping of hunting dogs. Offenders caught with blood on their hands (literally, caught 'red-handed') would be imprisoned. Other penalties included hanging, mutilation of the offender’s dogs, or more often the imposition of a heavy fine.  The names of the royal forest officers are still easily recognisable today, such as the foresters, whose job was to protect the forest, and rangers, who were responsible for specific areas, just like the County Council Country Park Rangers of today.
When these laws were first imposed on Sherwood, they applied to the whole of the county of Nottinghamshire north of the River Trent. In those days, forest covered much of the North Midlands, from the Wirral in Cheshire to the Trent. When the forest boundaries were first defined in 1218, they extended from Nottingham north-west along the Leen Valley to Kirkby and Sutton-in-Ashfield; east along the River Meden to Cuningswath ford north of Ollerton, and then south-west back to Nottingham.  Much of the woodland was also used as 'wood-pasture', which meant it could be grazed by cattle, sheep and pigs as well as by the king's deer. But as these animals would nibble any newly-growing trees or shrubs as well as grass, the trees became difficult to replace and all that was left were the large, long-lived timber trees, like the Major Oak.
Also within the boundaries of Sherwood Forest, were three royal deer parks with strong fences to keep the deer enclosed. They were sited adjacent to Nottingham Castle (now the Park Estate); Bestwood Park, and Pittance Park (now called Clipstone Park). King John had a hunting lodge, now in ruins, on the edge of the park at Clipstone. A royal hunt was very much a social event, starting and finishing with lavish feasting and entertainment. Lords and ladies would watch from a suitable vantage point, and the kill was brought home to them with a fanfare of trumpets. A deer hunt usually took the form of a mixed pack of hounds. Or the deer could be driven by foresters towards a 'stand', where the king's party waited with bows and arrows to shoot their prey. Examples of these are found at the King's Stand near Edwinstowe, at Berry Hill near Mansfield, and at Cuckney. Wild boar were usually hunted down on horseback and killed with a spear, an exercise which took considerable skill and courage. Language of the Forest The Royal Hunting Forests of medieval England have left us with a rich legacy in our language, and some words are still in use today. Some examples are: -
agister - an officer responsible for collecting money for grazing rights
agistment - grazing rights in the forest
assart - the act of clearing trees and , enclosing land for cultivation
back bear - found carrying a dead deer on the shoulders
beyond the pale - the pale was the fence which enclosed a deer park, so anything outside it was beyond its law
bloody hand (or redhanded) - caught in the act of killing the king's deer
housebote, firebote, haybote - the right to take forest wood for a) house repairs, b) fuel and c) fencing
chase - another name for a hunting forest, usually not owned by royalty
cheminage - a toll on carts or pack animals passing through a forest
dog draw - caught following with dogs after wounding a deer
fair game - game which could be hunted
forester - an officer responsible for conserving the forest
herbage - dues collected for grazing cattle and horses in forest pastures
hue and cry - gathering men to pursue offenders
pannage- the right to graze pigs
purlieu - ground near to a forest but which had originally been part of it
ranger - an officer responsible for a certain area of the forest
stable stand - found with bow drawn or with dog on a leash
swainmote or eyre - the courts of inquisition of a forest
venison - any animals living in the forest
vert - any trees or plants with green leaves
verderer (or warden) - a forest officer appointed by the Crown
woodward - another forest official, responsible for timber
 Visit Sherwood Forest Today, the once playground of nobility can be visited by everyone. Sherwood Forest Country Park is situated just off the A616 Mansfield-Ollerton road, to the north of the village of Edinstowe and is open every day. For further information contact: Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre
Sherwood Forest Country Park
Edwinstowe, Mansfield
Nottinghamshire NG21 9HN
Telephone: 01623 823202 Or Visit the Sherwood Country Park website:
Notts County Council - Sherwood Country Park and National Nature Reserve Text © Nottinghamshire County Council |
Home 
News 
